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This spring, something special happened at Grand Crossing Park. Over the course of 10 weeks, more than 30 young people came together through Chicago Emerging Stars’ Community STARS: Youth Changemakers Lab, a youth-led program created to help participants build confidence, strengthen their voice, develop leadership skills, and create real solutions to issues affecting young people and communities across Chicago. By the end of the program, 100% of participating youth completed

Downtown Chicago moves differently. The energy. The people. The spaces. As youth from Chicago Emerging Stars’ Community STARS program walked through the Chicago Cultural Center and surrounding areas, you could see it in their reactions pausing, observing, taking it all in. But this wasn’t just about being downtown. It was about asking a bigger question: Why does this exist here and not everywhere else? Throughout the experience, youth explored public spaces, art, and the way

Before they walked in, there was hesitation. Some carried questions. Some carried doubt. Some carried experiences that made this moment feel complicated. And that was real. When Chicago Emerging Stars’ Community STARS youth visited the 6th District Chicago Police Station, this wasn’t just another field trip, it was an opportunity to sit in a space that many had only known from a distance and engage in something different: conversation. Honest conversation. Youth didn’t hold b